News from both sides of the Durrand Line

Balochistan (Pakistan's largest province by area) has been in open revolt for about 6 years now, but has intensified in the last month, especially after Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) tabled a non-binding resolution before the House to recognize Balochistan's right to self-determination. It was, of course, a nuissance bill intended to piss off the Pakistan government (he's the one leading the charge to screw over Pakistan in every way, rightly or wrongly, since the OBL raid), but the sheer amount of vitriol and attention the government in Islamabad has been bringing to the bill has created a magnifiying glass effect on the situation, both abroad but, for the first time, at home as well.

In other news, Bin Laden's compound is being demolished as we speak.

edited 25th Feb '12 10:20:03 AM by FFShinra

ISI has appointed a new spy chief. General Zahirul Islam, CO of one of the Pakistan Army corps, this one based in Karachi. He's a former deputy DG of the ISI, serving in the internal security section. Don't expect changes quickly, but perhaps we might see change down the line.

May I ask which faction of the ISI he was part of before he got his new job and thus should be above factional fighting?

Like I said, he handled the internal security subsection once upon a time. That means he's not part of the strategic operations wing that handles Taliban et al. Whether or not that means he's more or less pro-West is entirely upto his personal history. But he doesn't seem to have personal involvement in terrorism-creating.

Also, more news: soldier massacred 16 villagers in Afghanistan.

Karzai is demanding US forces be remanded to their bases within a year and the Taliban have called off the peace talks, both as a result of the massacre.

Yeah. The Spiegel already formulated it as "the Afghanistan War has failed". Which seems apt, IMO.

135 Pakistani troops missing (and since its been a few days, now likely dead) after an Avalanche at the Siachen Glacier. They were covered by a 1 by 1 km square, 80 feet deep, layer of snow mud and rock. It's been a week and only now have they reached the 40 foot mark.

The place is the world's highest battlefield. More die from nature than from the enemy's bullet. The incident is flaring up calls in Pakistan to resolve the Siachen conflict, a sub-conflict of the greater Kashmir conflict with India.

400 prisoners broken out of jail by the Taliban near the FATA in Pakistan.

Major assault on Kabul, ongoing as of this posting.